Chapter 20: Chapter 19 Zhan Qipei Tastes Qiao Jing’s Noodles for the First Time
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Qiao Jing glanced sideways at the newcomer and upon seeing Zhan Qipei, surprise flashed through her icy eyes before gradually turning into an indescribable complexity.

“Who are you to meddle in my family’s business?” Jhiang Cuifeng stood up and started to make a scene at Zhan Qipei.

Standing to the side, Qiao Mengtong stared at Zhan Qipei with a lovesick gaze, almost drooling from the corner of her mouth.

Zhan Qipei forcefully snatched the crutch from Jhiang Cuifeng’s hand and threw it outside the door.

“Get out.”

Jhiang Cuifeng’s temper flared up, cursing as she shouted, “Who the hell are you? Telling me to get out? Who do you think you are? By what right are you telling me to leave?”

Zhan Qipei’s dark eyes were chilly, his thin lips cool, his face showing danger, “Simply because I am the master of Purple Garden!”

His words scared Jhiang Cuifeng to nearly shatter in fright.

First in shock, then in delight, Qiao Mengtong thought she’d never have any interaction with the president of the Zhan Corporation in her life, yet today she had met him. Even more surprising to her was that this man wasn’t a middle-aged man with a beer belly but rather an irresistible force that eclipsed even the youthful and seasoned talents of the entertainment circle.

This stunningly handsome face, it was too dashing!

And that perfect inverted triangle body, those long legs, it was simply bewitching!

At this thought, Qiao Mengtong could no longer control her legs and came over to Zhan Qipei with an infatuated expression.

Flirting and acting pretentiously, “Um, it wasn’t my grandmother’s intention, please forgive her. I’m willing to do anything if you’ll just forgive her.”

Qiao Jing was genuinely disgusted by Qiao Mengtong’s flirty behavior, and she turned to leave.

Zhan Qipei slightly turned his head to look behind him, She just left like that? She didn’t see someone was trying to seduce him?

Just then, Qiao Mengtong, thinking Zhan Qipei wasn’t paying attention, pretended to trip over her left foot with her right and lunged at Zhan Qipei.

Qiao Mengtong thought she would get her desired embrace, but just as she was about to fall onto Zhan Qipei, he suddenly stepped to the side.

With a loud “thud,” Qiao Mengtong face-planted on the ground in a way that resembled a dog scooping up its meal, pain making her gnash her teeth and her body convulse.

Qiao Jing heard the commotion, turned to look back, and lifted her eyebrows slightly, with a three-pointed lukewarm smile in her eyes.

To Qiao Mengtong, that look from Qiao Jing was sheer mockery. Rage consumed her, and she gritted her teeth and shouted at Qiao Jing.

“Qiao Jing, you selfish and despicable woman! Just you wait, I will have my father personally teach you a lesson!”

Zhan Qipei’s eyes narrowed, revealing a dangerous glint.

“Get lost.” The chilling word came from the man’s thin lips, and immediately a frightening atmosphere enveloped the area.

Scared, Qiao Mengtong scrambled up from the ground and, only after seeing Zhan Qipei’s dark, ominous face, realized what a terrifying entity she had provoked.

She really had been blinded by his attractiveness!

He was the head of the Zhan Corporation, Zhan Qipei! Rumor had it he was decisive and swift, earning the nickname Yama Raja.

How dared she provoke him? Wasn’t this seeking her own death?

As she ran away supporting Jhiang Cuifeng, Qiao Mengtong cursed Qiao Jing in her heart.

She hoped Qiao Jing would one day unwittingly offend Zhan Qipei and be severely punished by him! Let him ridicule her, let him confront her! Humph!

As night fell, the weather turned even gloomier than usual.

Standing at the doorway, Qiao Jing looked skyward and murmured, “Looks like it’s going to rain.”

Seated on the sofa, Zhan Qipei had just heard her voice and was about to turn around to look at Qiao Jing when the sound of pouring rain “pattering” echoed down.

It really started raining?

Moreover, it was raining heavily. The torrential downpour formed a curtain of rain at the entrance, blocking out the view outside.

“Buzz buzz buzz—” The phone vibrated.

It was a call from his mother, Su Manhan.

“Hello?”

“Qipei, it’s raining too heavily, your dad and I won’t be coming back home tonight.”

“Okay, I got it.”

No sooner had he hung up than Zhan Qipei received a call from Zhan Nanqing.

“Bro, Xinrou got scolded by her second uncle and is feeling down. I’ll stay at her place, don’t wait for me for dinner tonight.”

“Mhm.”

“That’s it? Bro, Xinrou is your childhood sweetheart, and you’re not even going to ask why she was scolded by Second Uncle Lou?”

“That’s her family business, when have you ever seen me being gossipy?” Zhan Qipei truly had no interest. “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging u—”

“It’s because of Qiao Jing!” Zhan Nanqing blurted out quickly, fearing Zhan Qipei was really going to hang up.

Hearing this, Zhan Qipei stopped the action of hanging up and put his phone back to his ear. Simultaneously, his gaze fell upon Qiao Jing, who was standing at the door.

“What happened?”

“Today, Xinrou and I went to Professor Qiao’s Research Institute, and we saw Qiao Jing there.”

Qiao Jing appeared at Professor Qiao’s Research Institute? Zhan Qipei thought of several clues he had previously captured and once again affirmed his suspicion.

Qiao Jing and Professor Qiao indeed had secrets unknown to others.

“And then?”

“I really didn’t expect it, but it turns out Qiao Jing was doing cleaning at the research institute!”

“What?” Zhan Qipei’s handsome brow furrowed.

She was doing cleaning?

So the relationship between her and Professor Qiao was merely this?

“Exactly! Xinrou and I saw with our own eyes Qiao Jing carrying a trash bag coming out of the institute.”

Hearing Zhan Nanqing say it with such certainty, Zhan Qipei no longer doubted that Qiao Jing was doing cleaning.

Zhan Nanqing continued, “After that, Xinrou’s Second Uncle came out, I don’t know what happened, but he got angry at Xinrou…”

Zhan Qipei had long since treated Zhan Nanqing’s words like wind passing by his ears, entering one ear and exiting the other.

He inwardly chuckled thinking he had suspected Qiao Jing to be the girl who had saved him, not just once but several times.

How could the girl with such excellent medical skills possibly do cleaning at a research institute?

The rain poured harder and swept into the room.

Qiao Jing closed the door and came inside.

After confirming that Qiao Jing was definitely not that girl, Zhan Qipei’s gaze towards her turned indifferent.

“They won’t be back tonight.”

“With such heavy rain, is Auntie Zhang still coming to cook?” Qiao Jing asked.

Zhan Qipei looked outside through the window, where the downpour made nearly everything invisible.

“It’s better not to have her come over in such heavy rain. Auntie Zhang is not young anymore, what if something happens on her way here?”

Zhan Qipei looked toward Qiao Jing, “If she doesn’t come, what will we eat for dinner?”

Qiao Jing opened the fridge, “Although we don’t have a lot of ingredients, it should be enough to make two bowls.”

“You’re making noodles?”

“Don’t you eat noodles?” Qiao Jing turned her head to ask.

“Whatever.” Zhan Qipei said indifferently.

Following that, Qiao Jing took the ingredients and headed to the kitchen.

Zhan Qipei’s gaze followed Qiao Jing into the kitchen; he then remembered the spread of dishes Qiao Jing had posted on her social circle yesterday.

Did Qiao Jing really make all those dishes herself?

While pondering, Zhan Qipei opened his laptop, planning to finish some work before the noodles were ready.

However, it didn’t take long before he smelled the aroma wafting from the kitchen.

The scent eroded his focus incrementally, and his eyes uncontrollably drifted towards the kitchen doorway.

After a full three minutes of internal struggle, Zhan Qipei closed his laptop, got up, and walked to the kitchen doorway.

Qiao Jing wore an apron around her, her long hair tied behind her. She scooped up a spoonful of soup, gently blew on it, then took a sip. A satisfied and blissful smile appeared on her face, shallow and soft and sweet…

Zhan Qipei was so entranced he almost left his body.

Upon snapping back to reality, his brows suddenly knit together.

What was he doing, losing himself like that?

She was Qiao Jing, not the girl who had saved him.

He had made a secret vow long ago that only that girl could enter the Zhan family’s door in this lifetime.

It wasn’t too long before the noodles were ready.

Qiao Jing carried the noodles out, “Carry your own bowl.”

Having said that, Qiao Jing started to eat her noodles without any regard for him.

“Do you really have the nerve?” Zhan Qipei’s face turned pale as he twitched the corners of his mouth.

“I made the noodles, and I still have to bring them to you? You are not my anyone. Whatever you think. If you don’t carry them, then you don’t eat. I might not even have enough,” said Qiao Jing, not pausing her eating as she spoke.

Zhan Qipei’s instincts told him that if he didn’t get them himself, Qiao Jing might really finish the bowl in the kitchen as well.

Deciding not to fuss with Qiao Jing, he went into the kitchen and carried out his noodles.

Looking at the noodles in the bowl, he thought of the comments from yesterday’s social circle, all of them praising how delicious Qiao Jing’s cooking was.

Is it really that tasty?

Zhan Qipei picked up a few strands of noodles with his chopsticks and put them into his mouth.